This invention relates to filters for filtering fluids such as engine oil, coolant, fuel, hydraulic or transmission fluid. Fluid filters are used to remove contaminants from fluid.
Fluid filters are used to remove contaminants from fluid such as an engine oil. Internal combustion engines use oil to lubricate bearings and reduce friction. This oil is circulated through the engine and carries contaminants such as metal particles, carbon particles and dirt that may cause harm to the engine. In order to effectively lubricate the engine, engine oil is passed through a filter to remove the contaminants before the oil is recirculated into the engine. The typical oil filter is attached to an internal combustion engine at the oil filter receptacle. Engine oil passes through a discharge opening in the oil filter receptacle, into a fluid filter and then into the engine lubrication system through an oil inlet pipe. A filter element in the fluid filter removes contaminates from the oil before it reenters the engine through the oil inlet pipe. Because of the dynamic nature of this process, oil filters must be sealed to protect from oil leaking into the atmosphere.
Oil filters have traditionally been of a disposable type creating a great environmental concern. Used oil filters are disposed of in landfills or by incinerating. Recent improvements in the art have separated the filter elements from the filter canister allowing users to dispose of only the filter element and thus reducing the quantity of waste material. However, a large volume of waste is still generated by disposing of the filter element.
Various engine manufacturers, such as Caterpillar Detroit, etc., use different arrangements for attaching oil filters to their engine blocks. The different mount necessitates additional cost to produce and distribute oil filters. The supply of filters for various engine manufacturers involves the remanufacture of major components of an oil filter or an entire filter assembly in order to adapt a filter product to a particular engine.
There is a need for a fluid filter for filtering a variety of fluids which features a reusable filter element and which can easily be adapted to different connection configurations, especially for use in engines as oil filters.
An engine block on an engine with angled oil outlets adapted to engage a reusable fluid filter for mounting, comprising:
a) a pre-cast filter-connecting segment;
b) said pre-cast filter-connecting segment having a filtered oil inlet in fluid communication with the engine;
c) said pre-cast filter-connecting segment having a plurality of angled oil outlets in fluid communication with the engine; and
d) wherein said angled oil outlets are arranged circularly about a central axis of said pre-cast filter-connecting segment, said angled oil outlets extending downwardly from the engine block at a first angle and outwardly at a second angle to a cylindrical reference surface parallel to said central axis.
An object of the invention is to provide a simple, cost effective method of using cleanable filters.
A further advantage of the invention is a reusable filter element which will reduce landfill volume and the number of filter elements burned in incinerators and reduce the cost of filter maintenance.
A feature of the invention is an adapter body which has angled fluid inlet ports to create a turbine action within the canister to suspend contaminants, which are filtered from the fluid by the filter element in the swirling unfiltered fluid. A principle object and advantage of the present invention is that the fluid filter adapter body component is molded directly into the engine block.
Further features and advantages of the invention are pointed out with the description of the preferred embodiment, drawings and claims of this application.